Gluten Free at Pie By the Pound, NYC

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that everyone who celebrates had a great Christmas. I was fortunate to be able to see Ryan in NYC for a few days leading up to Christmas and we tried several new (for us) restaurants including Pie by the Poundlocated at 124 4th Avenue between 12th and 13th St. I am always skeptical of gluten free pizza served at a restaurant that serves gluten containing pizza, but after speaking to the staff there and reading their website, my nerves calmed tremendously.

Let’s start with the website. Upon googling them, I noticed a large gluten free tab that brought me to a page dedicated to gluten free, their meal prep/methods for preventing cross contamination, and some info on why some people need gluten free and what celiac is, which I thought was incredibly thoughtful. THANK YOU for clearly outlining your protocols, Pie by the Pound! It is so frustrating when restaurants are super vague about what constitutes their gluten free prep. The website even lists symptoms of celiac disease and gluten intolerance in order to raise awareness! How cool is that? This restaurant cares about good quality food AND celiac/gluten intolerance awareness, not the fad.

What you need to know about the safety of their gluten free (summarized from their website):

The crust is made off site at a dedicated gluten free facility to minimize cross contamination

The staff adheres to strict cleaning procedures for all utensils and storage

The gluten free crusts and utensils are stored in a separate area

Gluten free pizzas are made to order–none are kept out with the gluten containing ones.

My pizza! Half mushroom, half fresh cubed

Now about the quality….THESE PIZZAS ARE INCREDIBLE!!!! The owner happens to be gluten free due to gluten intolerance and you can tell because the pizzas are fantastic and are definitely not the run of the mill gluten free ones. The crust tasted like a “normal” pizza. You can pretty much make ANY pizza gluten free. The gluten free pizzas are big enough for one very very hungry person or two people who aren’t ridiculously hungry—for reference, Ryan and I each got our own. He finished all of his but I had a few slices yet and was stuffed. You can customize any pizza plus the menu is expansive…I ordered half mushroom and half fresh cubed (Cubed Fresh Mozzarella, Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Cubed Tomato, Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Arugula, Olive Oil) while Ryan ordered the Prosciutto (Mozzarella, Ricotta, Prosciutto, Tomato Sauce, Arugula). Note that because these pizzas are made fresh to order, it takes about 10 minutes for gluten free to be made.

Did I mention that they have desserts? Gluten free cookies and brownies! Both delicious…of course, Ryan HAD to get a cookie and chowed it down. They also have gluten free beer and hard cider!

In terms of location, super close to Union Square so easy to get to via subway (NQRW lines).

Ryan’s Prosciutto pizza

Also, let me tell you about their music the evening we went—90s and early 2000s, music=200/10. Keep it up!

Would I return? In a heartbeat. This has to be my favorite gluten free pizza in all of NYC. I could eat safely and had tons of delicious options. Staff was incredibly friendly and treated me with respect and understanding instead of viewing celiac as a trend. Meal was fantastic.

Have you visited Pie by the Pound? If so, which pizza should I try next? 🙂

**Please note that this review solely reflects my own honest opinion. I was neither paid nor compensated for my visit here. Also, kitchen protocols and menus can change at any time. Make sure to speak to the staff at any restaurant before eating to make sure that they can accommodate your dietary restriction.**